Kejriwal-LG tussle: Delhi HC questions AAP govt's protest; top updates

The impasse between the AAP dispensation and the officers started four months back with an alleged assault on Chief Secretary Anshu Prakash

The ongoing tussle between Arvind Kejriwal's government and the Centre reached Delhi High Court on Monday. 

Hearing a petition against the sit-in by Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, the court asked the AAP as to who authorised the protest by Kejriwal and some of his cabinet colleagues at the lieutenant governor's office.

The bench listed the matter for hearing on June 22 without issuing any interim directions.

Kejriwal and his ministers have been staging a sit-in at the LG's office since June 11 evening to press for their demands, including a direction to IAS officers to end their "strike" and action against those who have stalled administrative work.

Kejriwal has accused the BJP of putting pressure on IAS officers and said their "strike" was being instigated by the Centre's ruling party. 

The Delhi CM, on Friday, had urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to direct the IAS officers in the Delhi administration to end their strike.
 

Here are the top developments in the political storm that has gripped the capital:

'Who authorised CM Kejriwal's sit-in at L-G office?': Delhi High Court on Monday asked AAP government who authorised the sit-in by Kejriwal and some of his cabinet collegues at the lieutenant governor's office.

"Who authorised the strike/dharna (sit-in by Kejriwal)? You are sitting inside the LG's office. If it's a strike, it has to be outside the office," the court told lawyers appearing for the Delhi government in the matter.

The court observed that strikes are usually held outside an establishment or office and not inside.

Delhi health minister hospitalised: Delhi Health Minister Satyendra Kumar Jain was admitted in LNJP Hospital after his health deteriorated during the ongoing 'dharna' at Raj Niwas on late Sunday night.

On Monday, a doctor told agencies that Jain's condition is stable.

"After watching his (Satyendra Jain) ketone report, we decided to admit him to hospital. His blood pressure is normal now. He is having some breathing issues, but stable," Dr Passey, LNJP Hospital told ANI.

Kejriwal gaurantees IAS officers' security: Kejriwal on Sunday tried to salvage the situation by sending out an "assurance of safety" to the officers whom he called part of his family.

"The officers are part of my family. I would urge them to stop their boycott of elected government, return to work now and start attending all meetings of Ministers, respond to their calls and messages and join them for field inspections," Kejriwal wrote on Twitter.

'Not on strike, but need a culture of trust': Delhi's IAS association on Sunday rebutted AAP's claims that its officers are on a strike and alleged they are being targeted and victimised.

"We have been targeted and victimised and told that we are working with someone. We would like to inform that we are not on strike," Revenue Sectretary Manish Saxena said in a press conference at the Delhi Press Club.

The officers denied the charge that the secretaries in the Delhi government are not answering the phone calls of ministers and MLAs and said that none of the phone calls go unanswered.

"Delhi has a unique position and it is something on which we have no control....We neither support any political party nor we are against any political party. We work as per law and Constitution," Saxena said.

AAP holds protest march in Delhi: Delhi's ruling AAP on Sunday took out a massive protest amid its standoff with the Lt Governor and IAS officers.

The protest was held over several issues including the on-going standoff with Lt Governor Anil Baijal, no-cooperation of the bureaucracy and demand of full statehood for Delhi.

AAP members, along with Communist Party of India-Marxist activists, marched from Mandi House metro station at 4 p.m. towards the Prime Minister's residence, but were stopped by police at the Parliament Street police station.

Four CMs extend support to Kejriwal: Chief Ministers of four states expressed solidarity with Kejriwal and demanded Centre's intervention.

The chief ministers - West Bengal's Mamata Banerjee, Kerala's Pinarayi Vijayan, Karnataka's H D Kumaraswamy and Andhra Pradesh's N. Chandrababu Naidu - held a press conference at Kejriwal's residence and accused the Central government of "restricting the federal system", terming it a threat to the nation.

They also said they were denied permission to meet Kejriwal and the Lt Governor Anil Baijal and termed the developments in Delhi as "constitutional crisis".

Kejriwal's sit-in protest: Kejriwal and his three Cabinet colleagues continued their sit-in protest at the Lt Governor's (LG) office on Sunday.

Kejriwal, along with Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia and Cabinet ministers Satyendra Jain and Gopal Rai, has been camping in the Raj Niwas -- the official accommodation-cum-office of LG Anil Baijal -- since Monday evening.

They have been demanding a direction to the IAS officers working in the Delhi administration to end their undeclared strike.

Jain, however, is not part of the sit-in protest presently as he was shifted to a hospital after his health deteroriated. 

With agency inputs